Picker buffers for looms



Jan. 8, 1957 D. M, RAGER 2,776,676

PICKER BUFFERS FOR LOOMS Filed Feb. 14. 1.955

' ATTORNEYS United States Patent PICKER BUFFERS FOR LOOMS Donald M. Rager, Sunbury, Pa.

Application February 14, 1955, Serial No. 487,726

3 Claims. (Cl. 139-166) This invention relates to looms, and more particularly to picker buffers for looms.

As is well known, it has heretofore been proposed to employ a buffer comprising a block of rubber or other resilient material mounted on the picker rod adjacent one end thereof so as to receive the impact of the picker.

It has been found in practice, however, that such a block, subjected as it is to repeated blows of the picker, rapidly deteriorates, especially at the end against whlch the picker strikes. Moreover, there is a tendency for the buffer to rebound and shift its position along the rod toward the picker, thus reducing its effectiveness in cushionin g the blow.

An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a buffer of this character having at its picker end improved, impact resisting, re-enforcing means sufficiently durable to withstand indefinitely the repeated blows of the icker. p Another object is to devise simple and effective means for preventing the buffer from shifting its position on the rod.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is bad to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a loom showing my improved bufler applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a similar view on an enlarged scale showing the buffer itself in detail;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the assembly illustrated in Fig. 2, parts being in elevation and parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the buffer itself looking toward the left in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the shock member hereinafter described, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the ferrule hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates a portion of a frame of a loom on which are mounted brackets 2 and 3 for supporting the picker rod 4 in the usual man ner. The bracket or support 2 is made up of a pair of separate portions 2 and 2* held together by a pair of bolts 5, and constructed to grip the end of the rod 4 between them. This bracket or support 2 constitutes a rigid abutment against which my improved buffer bears.

6 designates the picker and 7 the picker stick, while the usual shuttle is shown at 8.

My improved buffer consists of a cylindrical block 9 of resilient material such as rubber having an axial bore 9 extending therethrough and of such a diameter as to readily fit over the rod 4.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the left hand or back end of the buffer 9 bears firmly against the abutment or support 2. At the opposite or forward end of the buffer which receives the impact I provide re-inforcing means comprising a ring or band 10 of suitable alloy provided on its inner surface with screw threads. This band is then 2,776,676 Patented Jan. 8, 1957 ice threaded tightly on to the end of the buffer 9. The inner edge of the ring or band 10 is preferably chamfered as shown at 10 so as to prevent the edge of the ring from gouging into the rubber block when the latter tends to expand under impact of the picker. I

In order to prevent the re-inforcing ring or band 10 from tightening the rubber around the rod and thus deadening the resiliency of the unit and imp-airing its efiiciency, I insert into the bore of the buffer 9 a short section of tube or ferrule 11, preferably made of some rigid composition similar to that sold under the trade name Textolite. This tube or ferrule has an interior diameter of such size that it will slide freely on the rod, and on its exterior is provided with a special type of screw threads called buttress threads, which threads are inclined on one side and practically perpendicular to the axis on the other side. This threaded ferrule is screwed into the bore of the block 9 with the perpendicular sides of the threads facing towards the back or left hand end of the block. Threads constructed in this manner tend to prevent the ferrule being driven further into the bore of the block 9 under the force of the impacts of the picker.

Mounted freely on the rod adjacent but unattached to the buffer is a shock unit 12 in the nature of a heavy annular block or ring, preferably also made of some impact resisting material such as the composition sold under the trade name Textolite. The picker strikes this block 12 and the block transfers the impact to the end of the buffer 9.

In order to prevent the buffer from rebounding and shifting along the rod toward the picker I surround the back end thereof adjacent the abutment 2 with several turns of heavy spring wire 13, the normal inside diameter of these turns of wire being somewhat less than the outside diameter of the rubber buffer 9, so that the wire tends, of its own resiliency, to compress the rubber into close contact with the rod, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. This frictional engagement of the back end of the buffer with the rod tends to prevent creeping or shifting of the buffer away from the abutment 2. At the same time the spring wire is sufficiently resilient to permit the bufier 9 to expand under the force of blows from the picker.

In order to expand the coil 13 when desired, so as to readily remove it from or place it in position on the block 9, I extend each end to form radially projecting arms 14 as best shown in Fig. 4. By grasping these arms and squeezing them toward each other, the coil may be expanded.

By further reference to Fig. 3, it will be observed that, as above pointed out, the left hand or back end of the bore of the block 9 is in close frictional engagement with the rod 4, and at the opposite end the tube or ferrule 11, which snugly fits the rod, holds the walls 9 of the bore of the block slightly away from and out of contact with the rod. Thus it may be said that the buffer block is supported at both ends on the rod but is free to expand or bulge at all intermediate points. This results in a buffer of maximum resilience. Furthermore, the buffer tends to shorten as it bulges under the impact of the blows of the picker, and this shortening action can readily take place by reason of the free sliding movement of the tube or ferrule 11 on the rod. The re-inforcing ring or band 10 serves to prevent splitting or deterioration of the rubber under repeated impacts, and since it is preferably made of a relatively light alloy, the threaded engagement with the rubber block is sufficient to keep it in place.

What I claim is:

l. A picker buffer comprising a cylindrical block of resilient material having an axial bore, a ferrule of relatively rigid material fitting within one end of said bore, and a separately formed rigid band encircling said block at the same end and surrounding said ferrule, the end of the resilient block being exposed between said ferrule and band.

2. A picker buffer comprising a cylindrical block of resilient material having an axial bore, a ferrule of relatively rigid material fitting within one end of said bore, and a rigid band separate from said ferrule having internal screw 5 threads threaded on to said block at the same end and encircling said fcrrule, the end of said block being exposed between said ferrule and band.

3. A picker bulfer comprising a cylindrical block of resilient material having mounted on one end a re-inforcing 1!) band of rigid material, said band having internal screw threads threaded on said block, and the end of said band lying substantially flush with the end of said block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Australia Dec. 4, 

